


good walls make good neighbors

by xShieru



Series: To tame fire [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bonding, Gen, Insecurity, Magic, Minor Character Death, Pre-Slash, Soul Bond, Trilogy, Trust Issues, Witches, won't really make sense if it's not read in order whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-07 08:50:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12229602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xShieru/pseuds/xShieru
Summary: Sabo's return to the apothecary marks the beginning of their journey, however, it's Law's unusual magic that chases them out of the village ahead of time.It's hard to survive in a world filled with witch tribes and ferocious demons unless your name is Monkey D. Luffy and you have a wide network of acquaintances to boot.





	1. the dagger and the witch's blessing

While it isn’t a part of his contract, Law's the one nursing the witch back into full health. The kid’s a messy healer, unused to channeling his mana for such precise tasks, resorting to potions and ointments to patch up the bleeding gap in his gut instead. He whines and groans and sleeps for unnaturally long time periods, fever elevated because of the strain that he’s put on his body after performing a binding ritual of this scale. Not to mention the one which was performed before that, the one meant to summon Law for information that he did not possess.

The kid’s an idiot, just like Law’s assumed. He has no idea how he’s to help the brat find his older brother and release his soul, but they need to get a move on – the sooner they find Ace, the sooner Law can bail on the witch, become the free man he’s constantly dreamt of being for the past two centuries. Perhaps even longer. Time tended to blur when you were trapped inside Raftel’s domain and its surrounding territory, observing countless faceless witches dropping by to say their prayers and give out offerings to the Grand Tree. 

At least Walpurgisnacht was as much of a festival to Law as it was to the rest, but after a few decades it’d lost its initial charm. No one ever nearly-died there while trying to perform some summoning ritual so it wasn’t like Law could randomly materialize on the mortal plane to take their energy or strike up a good deal. That is, until Luffy showed up – a small, fresh witch, unaware of Raftel’s secrets, Law’s miserable existence, blinded by familial love and dedication to his cause and grief.

He hates to admit it, but he owes Luffy – for setting him free without any huge conflicts, for bringing him back home (though it was Law who dragged the boy’s half-dead ass to the apothecary) and for willingly taking care of him despite not having to do so. Despite the fever and the magical exhaustion.

Luffy’s condition makes it hard for Law to concentrate enough to keep his human form for longer than ten minutes, no less use his healing on the kid’s festering wound, but he makes do with what he has, taking short breaks after he’s no longer able to focus the energy to his fingertips, the white fire flickering out.

“You’re really good at this, Law,” Luffy rasps tiredly, holding back a wet cough – magical exhaustion worked like a flu; same symptoms minus the runny nose and occasionally sore throat. “But you don’t have to do this for me.”

“I’m not doing this because I want to,” Law says, wiping at his damp forehead – fuck, restoring his owner’s balance was fucking hard. Was the kid an infinite, insatiable void of mana? Is that the reason why Law couldn’t fill up the gap? Will he die trying? He hopes not. His black tunic feels gross against his front, sticking to his chest. “We’ve made a deal. And as I mentioned, you’re of no use to me if you’re dead. If you die before we complete the contract, it’s more than likely that I’ll end up back at _that place_.”

“I’m not going to die from this, you know,” Luffy weakly grins and holds back another coughing bout. Law rewards him with a nonplussed stare and continues his painstaking work. “I just need to rest and I’ll be as good as new.”

“Have you ever experienced magical exhaustion of this level, you nimrod?” Law grouches and uses his right leg to bring the small stool located by Luffy’s bed closer – he can no longer stand properly, legs shaking, knees buckling every now and then.

“No. Ace would, though. His magic was super impressive – flames too big and bright to see the one commanding them. He’d overdo it a lot back when we were kids. Kept getting sick until he met Shanks who agreed to become his master and teach him how to control his fire.”

“Your brother seems to have had an obscene amount of mana,” Law nods, noisily exhaling to focus a bit better. “It’s rather inconvenient – having explosive magic and then winding up weakened and sick right after using it.”

“But it’s the main reason why he became the High Warlock of our region at the age of sixteen!” Luffy exclaims, brightening up. “I was so jealous! But very happy for him too.”

Law frowns at this bit of peculiar information. Now this is something he’s never heard of before, not while living with his past owners. Usually one would become a High Warlock way past their thirties. “Sixteen, you say,” he hums, intrigued, “And how old was he when he passed away?”

The lingering happiness is nowhere to be found. Luffy visibly deflates, gaze fixed on the cluttered ceiling. There’re various plants suspended above the bed, drying in clusters that are attached to the multiple strings connecting the simple square-shaped lanterns, along with various protective charms carved of wood, bone and stone strung up here and there. Law recognizes at least half of them – they’re basic runes meant to ward off evil eyes and various earthly sicknesses, most likely meant for the apothecary’s visitors rather than Luffy and his currently missing older sibling. “Twenty-four”, Luffy brings him back to reality, voice grim. “He was about to turn twenty-five.”

Law nearly gets whiplash at how fast he turns his head to look at his witch, eyes widening, “No way. That young?” which is like, again, impossible. The kid must’ve been a _prodigy_ , and even then, it sounded shady. One long look spared Luffy’s way was more than enough to prove it – all High Warlocks in training were lost little lambs just like Law’s current master, still messing up their rituals and fucking up on the most basic of basics.

“Yes way,” Luffy says and turns on his side, groaning in discomfort, despite Law’s scolding – _watch it, what if I accidentally burn you_. He brings Ace’s sheathed dagger towards himself, fingers running over the golden flames carved into the leather scabbard. The kid never fails to bring it everywhere, either attached to his hip or, like right now, placed on the empty space beside him. A bed meant for two teenagers. “Ace was great. Smart, kind. Powerful. Everyone in the village loved him like their own family member. He protected us so many times. And he died trying,” the worn-down warlock cradles the weapon, closing his eyes and placing his cheek on its sheath, nuzzling into it. “And I will lay down my life on the line just to return the favor. So I cannot die from this _scratch_. I refuse to stumble.”

Law feels his witch’s distress through their connection, the clogging darkness that seeps into Luffy's ribcage, spreading to his heart and coiling around it. It throws Luffy into disarray, magic levels spiking in unnatural ways and Law frowns in confusion, taking his hovering palms away with a pained hiss – this doesn’t look good. “Luffy, enough,” he warns but the kid doesn’t listen, continues wallowing in unspoken regrets and self-pity. His thoughts are becoming unbearably loud, easily overpowering Law's own – _if only I was stronger, what would’ve gone differently if Sabo and I made it on time, what if we saved him, we couldn’t –_

“Luffy.”

No response.

With a lot of regret, Law snaps his fingers together and the weak magic surge is enough to knock his owner out for the next three hours or so. It’s _illegal_ and it’s considered a grave offense for a familiar to pull this sort of nonconsensual crap. It’d spell out trouble if Luffy was to accuse him of intentional harm, but Law knows that the kid will not. He _doubts it_ at the very least – he cannot claim to truly know or understand the weird, eccentric, loud-mouthed brat that he’s met just a few days ago.

The witch cries in his fitful sleep and Law reverts back to his more comfortable fawn form, choosing to curl up on the floor rather than his owner’s bed – it’s pretty clear that the empty space is reserved for someone else.

* * *

 

By some miracle it seems that the kid is truly capable of “sleeping it off” because by next morning he’s almost as good as new. He still holds back soft winces whenever he has to bend over so Law takes it upon himself to help his ill witch out, impersonating the picture perfect familiar. Luffy reopens the apothecary and immediately they are swarmed by desperate clients of various ages, asking for advice and purchasing various potions and charms. Luffy lets Law in on a secret – after Ace’s death, their female clients have disappeared one after another, no longer able to catch a glimpse of the handsome High Warlock selling “love potions”. Luffy snickers when he tells his familiar that those supposed fast-working potions were merely magicless concoctions made of various herbs and raspberry juice. According to Ace, his creations would surely give the dames “the courage to confess their feelings”. The rest they’d do themselves, feeling high on luck.

It’d work out, most of the time anyways. Sabo was great at giving subtle advice, adding the finishing touch of Ace’s short-lived love potion campaign.

Luffy’s great with clients, always smiling and hearing them out, giving out discounts to the local elderly. They adore the young witch and it’s clear that Luffy loves them just as much, paying careful attention to different vials collecting dust in the multiple shelves of the apothecary, stacked on every flat surface available. The place is messy but in an organized way and it’s undeniably homey. Law finds that he quite likes the atmosphere, the various sweet and spicy scents lingering in the air, the multiple plants surrounding the tiny two-story house built of sturdy wood and stone. When Luffy struggles to read the labels written in ancient tongue and faded from the age (he notices that Luffy struggles with reading in general), Law’s the one poking his tiny deer nose around the colorful bottles, squinting to read the indiscernible hand-writings – it appears that Sabo and Ace had terrible chicken scrawls.

Apparently the mere sight of some unusually-shaped and colored fawn helping out the working warlock by bringing him his pouch and ingredients, small hooves click-clacking on the floor, is considered positively _adorable_ by most of the clientele. Law refuses to be touched, masterfully escaping the prying hands of the kids, and tries to ignore the multiple comments about the… spot located on his fawn-form’s behind.

When he’s asked for his "pet’s" name, Luffy only purses his lips, deep in thought and looking over the familiar. Law pins him with one of his most creepy looks, glowering. Needless to say the effect is lost when he has a blue bottle in his mouth, ready to bring it to his witch, _“If you dare call me anything stupid, I will make sure you die a painful death and then make it look like an accident,”_ he hisses through their mind link in a menacing way and Luffy straight up grins, pearly-white teeth put on display.

This grin doesn’t mean anything good, by now Law knows that much. The kid only ever gets it when he’s about to say and do something stupid, reckless and outrageous. “Haven’t thought of one yet. Guess I will call him Mr. Heart Butt,” Luffy explains to the old lady occupying the ancient wine-red sofa reserved for their guests and Sabo’s naps. She claps her hands in glee and approval, and Law drops the bottle on the carpet, disappearing on the dingy staircase leading to the second floor. 

“I’m sorry, Law, come back down,” Luffy whines through bouts of laughter and Law huffs, angered. The kid doesn’t take him seriously.

 _“No,”_ he grouches through the link. _“You’re on your own.”_

 _“What’s wrong with Heart Butt?”_ Luffy questions, this time through the link as well. He’s slowly getting adapted to the strangeness of having someone else in your head and feeling everything they feel, sometimes even sharing clear thoughts.

_“Other than everything?”_

_“It’s not like it’s inaccurate,”_ Law can clearly visualize Luffy’s exaggerated pout. The wonders of the witch-familiar bond. _“You do have a heart spot on your butt. It’s cute.”_

_“I’d rather not have my master evaluating my… assets.”_

_“Suit yourself, Grumpy Butt,”_ Luffy snorts, entertained, _“I should’ve called you that. You’re no fun, bleh. ”_

 _“I’m not here to be fun,”_ Law noses at the door leading to Luffy’s room – less of a room and more of a tiny, cluttered closet-like space where the bed takes up most of the free room, along with the night stand stationed next to it. _“If you don’t like me, change your conditions. Set me free, get a familiar refund. I don’t know. I’m also about to roll in your sheets as a punishment for public degradation.”_

Luffy gasps, thinking back to Law’s dusty fur and dirty deer hooves. _“You wouldn’t dare! Those sheets took me ages to change!”_

If Law were in his human form, right now he’d be smirking, _“Are you sure, witch?”_

The satisfaction that he gets when he hears Luffy’s obnoxiously loud voice apologizing to the old wrinkly lady downstairs and rapidly approaching steps is a reward in itself. Luffy struggles to catch him, nearly getting himself stuck under the bed in the process. “You devil!” the kid huffs, exasperated, legs kicking back and forth. Law moves out of his swiping hands’ reach. “Get back here.”

 _“What’s in it for me?”_ Law blinks, going for the cute, weakling fawn act. Luffy glowers at him in the darkness cast by the bed, lower lip stuck out.

“I will make you a honey potion,” Luffy grumbles, laying down still.

 _“And?”_ Law presses.

“What else do you want from me!?”

_“Something about my name.”_

“Fine!” Luffy sighs, defeated and displeased by having to admit it. Seems he’s taken a liking to the offhanded pet name. “I will not call you Mr. Heart Butt.”

 _“Good,”_ Law says, satisfied, and leaves his witch to struggle, nearly galloping towards the staircase.

* * *

 

Luffy is great at simple energizing potions. While they do nothing to restore a witch’s magic balance, they certainly help Law feel refreshed, the fatigue that’s accumulated with the overuse of healing magic leaving his bones. Luffy is absolutely stunned to find out that familiars do not require food nor do they _defecate_ – that question in particular has caught Law completely off-guard – and he keeps asking all of those basic things that make Law wonder whether the kid is truly a High Warlock in training.

 _“Shouldn’t you know all of this by now?”_ he asks, confused. _“Witches need to know everything about the care of familiars. Not that we require any, since we absorb energy from the surrounding nature and all that,”_ still, he’d rather poke Luffy with his antlers than let the witch attempt to take the gold-colored concoction away. It tastes like heaven, like the relief he’s been unconsciously seeking. Laaw could even force himself to deal with this annoying witch just for a little while longer for these blessed potions alone.

“Okay, but do you seriously not eat?” Luffy asks for the third time, stirring at the contents of the cauldron suspended above the fire place. He’s got bloody fingers from trying to properly dice the sizable, slick root of the demiflower. “That’s so sad! I couldn’t imagine my life without the comforts of food,” he says thoughtfully and then moves the ladle in the opposite direction.

 _“It doesn’t say anywhere that I can’t eat human food,”_ Law groans, mildly annoyed. _“I can. I just choose not to.”_

“But if you choose to, where does it all go? Makes no sense,” the witch’s face scrunches up and he sprinkles some herbs into the cauldron. It sizzles, producing green smoke strongly smelling of lavender.

_“It gets converted into low quality energy and added to the familiar’s magic.”_

“That’s dumb and unrealistic,” Luffy tells him with a shrug to which Law rewards him with a plain stare, deer tongue cleaning the tip of his gold-smudged nose.

 _“We’re living in a world of magic that’s yet to be fully explored and comprehended. Anything’s possible,”_ Law says.

“Speaking of magic, you can use healing, right? The white fire,” Luffy hums, tasting the contents. There’s a frown of disapproval on his face and he digs through the various bags in search for more spice. “Is that your element?”

 _“It used to be,”_ Law replies, coming closer and looking at the instructions written down on the book, _“You missed poppy seeds, by the way,”_ he points out and Luffy thanks him, flashing a warm smile. Law looks into the flames, enjoying the warmth. The apothecary is drowning in darkness and sound produced by the countless crickets chirping in the fields. It’s already a little past midnight. He continues his explanation while he watches Luffy uncork a plain bottle. _“When I was still alive, I was a doctor. After I turned into a familiar, I received the element of light._ Despite Raftel being my domain, I still can’t invoke it.”

When Luffy turns to face Law, he finds the man sitting cross-legged by his side, exploring his tattooed palms with a quizzical, focused expression etched on the tired, handsome face. He’s already gotten semi-used to Law switching forms mid-sentence without making the slightest bit of noise. “What was the transition like?” Luffy questions, curious. “I heard that it’s painful. I hope I’m not one of those Chosen souls.”

“It was,” Law looks up, silver eyes flickering to Luffy’s sliced up fingers. Without asking for permission, he brings the kid's unoccupied palm towards himself, inspecting the shallow cuts. Luffy shivers at the careful, tender contact. “Kinda felt like I was forcefully ripped out of my body and then melded into something new.”

“How did you die?” Luffy holds back another shiver when Law’s fingers light up in white, thumb stroking over the wounds, cleaning them and closing them up in the process.

“Surprisingly, old age,” Law mumbles, sounding lost in thought. “Couldn’t wait to die, really. Life got pretty damn boring after I turned sixty.”

“Did you have a family?”

“No,” Law repositions his witch’s hand to inspect the cuts on the inside of the palm. His fingers are lean but the rough palm is wide. The skin that should be delicate, as that of most witches out there, is marred with small scars and callouses. Law wonders where the witch even gets them – he’s not attending to any hard labor here. “Spent my days alone. Never found anyone I wanted in my life.”

“Wasn’t that… I don’t know, lonely?” Luffy asks and belatedly realizes that he hasn’t been attending to the cauldron in well over a minute. Quickly, he grabs the ladle with the left hand, stirring the bubbling contents. The bubbles aren’t supposed to be this big, he notices. “I couldn’t live a life like that.”

“I know,” Law says, noncommittal. “You seem like the type of person to marry early and wind up with eight kids by the age of thirty.”

Luffy pulls a disgusted face at him, retaking the healed palm. How long has he spent observing Law? He didn’t even notice the familiar finishing up, thumb halting, waiting for Luffy to remove the hand. “No way! I don’t want kids, _ever._ I don’t mind them but having some of my own? No. It’s definitely not gonna happen!”

“What about your siblings?”

Luffy laughs as though that question is meant to be humorous. To him, it probably is. “Ace never settled down. He’d see people for about a week and he’d be out. Said that wandering around the world and adventuring was far more appealing. Sabo would make jokes about his illegitimate children appearing on our doorstep one day, asking for Ace’s non-existent inheritance and a place to stay. Sabo dated this girl for a very long time but she moved out with her master after she turned of age. Their tribe is located ways ahead of our village so they decided to break it off. Sabo has dedicated himself to work after Ace’s death anyways.”

“Seems to me that you’re a family of wanderers raised under the same belief.”

“I’m not complaining,” Luffy lightly shrugs, a discreet smile tugging at the corner of his bow-shaped lips. “I like my freedom. Don’t want anyone holding me back or waiting for my return. That sort of stuff would only hurt them in the long run. Now then,” he exclaims to redirect the topic of the boring conversation, “what was that part about you being magic-blocked?”

“What?” Law blinks, peeling his eyes away from the mysterious quirk of Luffy’s lips. “Oh, that. Right. Since I’m a familiar that wound up in a new contract, I’m in need of a specific object given to me with my master’s blessing.”

“Oh!” Luffy hums excitedly, bouncing on the unstable chair. “What do you use? Knives? A sword? You look more of a spear guy to me.”

“I’m experienced in sword fighting but I’m afraid that owning one dedicated to magic casting would be… an inconvenience. My magic is enabled via rune drawing and creating barriers where I can do whatever I wish. It’s like a portable domain where I’m the deity.”

The witch nearly goes starry-eyed at the explanation, producing a prolonged “oh”. Granted, Law’s powers do not fall into the usual element category. “That’s so mad cool! Can’t wait to see it. I’m gonna buy you a channeling weapon tomorrow morning!”

“Just don’t get anything expensive,” Law sighs. “My last owner ordered me a customized nodachi.”

“Nodachi?” Luffy inquires, squinting and visibly confused.

“A type of long-sword. He spent a fortune on that thing. It pains me to know that it was a complete waste of money and effort.” Thankfully, Luffy doesn’t ask for any details. “And you don’t exactly appear to be swimming in cash. So please, don’t get me anything fancy. As long as I get a blessing, I’m alright.”

Luffy pets him right between the antlers as though he’s still a baby deer trying to appear intimidating. Law flinches at the touch, navigating around the rough palm to make it slip away, glaring, low-key offended. The witch chooses to ignore the sour look that’d make the lesser men cower away in overwhelming fear. “I want what’s the best for my familiar. It’s how I roll. You’re a friend to me, Law. You took care of me when I was down and that’s enough of a reason for me to reward you. Not to mention put my faith in you.”

“I don’t need your friendship and your compassion,” the familiar quips, moving to sit out of Luffy’s reach. He folds his arms on his bent knees, looking into the dancing flames. Luffy can’t help but think that the man looks lonely, insecure. Sad. “I only agreed to temporarily serve you to win back my freedom. Do not misunderstand my actions, warlock.”

“Well this sort of attitude is going to earn you a needle,” Luffy jokes in a serious tone, laughing heartily and Law stares at his idiotic owner with a miffed expression on his face. Somehow the witch always manages to go against his initial expectations.

“At least a needle is going to make you save up cash,” he mumbles, pulling his knees into his chest even further. “You needn’t spend a single gold coin on me.”

“I do what I feel like,” Luffy says and douses the flames to let the healing potion simmer.  “And if I want to buy the fanciest goddamn dagger in the market then I will,” he finishes resolutely, taking off his ratty witch hat and placing it on the hook located above the cluttered fireplace. Law wonders why Luffy even wears it – it’s a shabby thing with stains of dubious origin peppered here and there, the rim frayed. It seems to hold a lot of importance to the witch though so he tactfully does not question it, unwilling to insults someone’s memory. “I’m going to lock up. Mind returning this mess to its original place?” he sheepishly gestures at the scattered pouches and bottles.

Law heaves a sigh – not like he has anything better to do than to sulk and reminiscence. “Sure.”

“Also I’m getting into Ace’s old wardrobe. You are in a desperate need of new clothes,” Luffy throws over his shoulder after he picks up the rusted keys and rearranges the scattered boots placed by the entrance to the apothecary.

“What’s wrong with my current apparel?” Law wonders out loud, standing on his tiptoes to return some vials to the dusty shelves. Does Luffy ever clean this place? He finds at least three dead spiders – an obvious answer to the question. No, seems not. While Law doesn’t like the style of his, uh, flowy revealing robe, it does magically lose all of its grime the moment he reverts to human form. Plus it’s not like he fully feels the heat or the cold – he merely exists. A Spirit. And what use does he have for human clothes, anyways? They get dirtied up far too quickly and Law isn’t about to make his life all the more difficult with even more mundane tasks and chores.

“I tripped over the ends of your robe. Twice,” Luffy explains with a pout. “It’s inconvenient, no? I know that it’s meant to give you this untouchable, divine douchebag deity look, but right now you’re living in a small cluttered house and you really don’t need your material stuck in various places. Sabo’s dumb coat would get stuck everywhere until he was forced to wear more comfortable clothes.”

“Maybe after we finally get a move on and set out to look for your brother’s soul I will reconsider,” Law counters, already knowing that it’s never going to happen, travelling or no. The indirect mention of Ace’s death shuts Luffy up immediately and the rest of the clean-up is spent in an awkward silence.

* * *

 

Luffy wakes with the first rays of dawn and heads to the village, traversing the marketplace in search of his favorite blacksmith’s tent. The bearded old man gives Luffy a good deal so he doesn’t spend as much as he was ready to, Law’s opinion on the matter pushed away and sealed inside the recesses of his mind. The dagger is only slightly shorter than Ace’s, pristine and still vaguely smelling of the forge. Whereas the intricate markings on Ace’s scabbard are faded from age and use, these are shining a pale white.

The moment he saw the dagger, Luffy knew that it was the one meant for his familiar.

 _“I can’t believe you’d literally zap me out of the apothecary for this,”_ Law meets him halfway, fawn nose twitching in distress. _“How far have you wandered?”_

“Sorry, thought I was still in range. The village is rather small. Thought it’d fall into the “five kilometer radius” rule. I wanted to surprise you, Law!” Luffy explain sheepishly, quickly and very obviously hiding the present behind his back.

Law sighs in the back of his mind and shifts seeing that there’s no one around them to witness the transformation, other than the surrounding fields buzzing with all sorts of life and the uneven dirt and shingle road leading through the village located ahead. It takes a moment for his eyes to readjust to the glare of the sun. Luffy’s comfortably hidden away in the shade cast by his wide-brimmed witch hat. “Okay, first of all,” Law grumbles, still angered by the rude awakening. Familiars needed sleep just as much as witches did, if not more. Law found that lately naps worked the best for when he needed to charge his power. “The radius is always _three kilometers_ long. _You_ can’t leave without me and _I_ can’t leave without you otherwise, as you can see, one of us will end up getting dragged along. I’m your familiar, Luffy. You should bring me along _everywhere_ you go. What if something happened to you and I wasn’t around?”

“It was just a market run, no more,” Luffy grumbles unhappily at being scolded by the tall man. The material of his black robe shimmers in the daylight, antlers turning iridescent at the tips. “I brought you a present.”

“No shit you did,” Law grouches, rubbing at his exposed arms. “If it was a casual market run, you’d be dragging me along before I even had the chance to properly wake up. Please tell me that you actually listened to me. You _did_ , didn’t you?” he inquires, squinting at Luffy’s suspiciously folded hands. The witch spins with him when Law attempts to take a good look behind his back.

“It was a good deal! I didn’t spend _that_ much!” the kid feels cold sweat breaking out at Law’s inquisitive gaze drilling holes into his face, searching for faults and lies. “I promise. I’m gonna repay him with three potions. He lowered the price.”

The familiar still seems uncomfortable because of their current predicament, playing with his fingers, shoulders squared and beyond tense. Luffy takes that moment of hesitation as a good to go and brings the sheathed dagger in front of Law’s face, feeling a little embarrassed for reasons unknown. “It’s… I don’t know. I hope it will be comfortable to use.”

Law gingerly takes it, makes sure their fingers don’t brush in the process and unsheathes the short thing, testing out the simple handle. Nothing too fancy, easy on the wrist, good in weight. The metal it’s been made of is blinding and while Law knows for a fact that it isn’t silver, it sure as hell looks like it. He can see his barely-distorted reflection on the polished, thin blade.

“It reminded me of you,” Luffy trails off, unused to giving gifts to strangers. Law’s face is kept carefully impassive and he cannot gouge whether the reaction is a positive or a negative one. A comment would be nice, really – anything to indicate his inner thoughts. “I had to get it the moment I saw it.”

Normally he wouldn’t stress over one’s approval, but when he’s soul bound to another creature… well, it’s a different thing entirely. Luffy can’t feel Law’s thoughts even through their link – they’re vague shapes of barely-discernible neutrality. Perhaps the gift has left no impression on the man.

Luffy can feel an inkling of some foreign emotion stirring in his familiar’s gut after he’s done evaluating the sheath – pitch black with a line of white crosses on it – but it’s gone before he can analyze it or understand what it even was. Law looks up at him with a satisfied smirk and Luffy knows that he means it. Seems like that emotion was positive. “It’s missing a blessing,” Law notes, sheathing the dagger and holding it to his chest. “Any ideas on that?”

“There’re a few ribbons back home. Think those’ll hold or do you need something sturdier?”

“I’m not going to stick around for long enough to find out,” Law reminds with a condescending snort, “A ribbon will do.”

* * *

 

Around noon, Luffy takes a bucket outside and kneels over the herb beds, Law lingering around and generally getting in the way, more than a little impatient to receive Luffy’s blessing. The kid couldn’t find the promised ribbon and he had customers to attend to, so they agreed to push back the search to tomorrow morning. The witch was forced to close up the apothecary early, no longer able to multitask.

“This’d be so much easier with Sabo around,” he mumbles and wipes at the back of his damp forehead with a dirty glove, smudging the tanned skin. He’s abandoned the witch hat for a wide-brimmed straw hat, the harsh sun still beating down the back of his neck. Today is unbearably hot so Law lounges in the shade and pretends to feel it, occasionally dipping his snout into a huge barrel filled with rain water placed by the wall of the apothecary, completely overtaken by the vines of multiple brightly-colored flowers _._

 _“When will he return?”_ Law is still undeniably displeased over their current predicament. The sooner he gets the blessing and thus in touch with his full magic potential, the earlier they can leave here and go find Ace.

“Dunno,” Luffy answers him vocally, wincing in pain when he straightens up. He looks like he was rolling around in half-dried mud. “Full moon’s been over for two days now. Sometimes he wanders around before returning or passes out in the first village he reaches.”

_“Did he ever transform around these parts?”_

“Of course not! Sabo would _never_ willingly transform near our village, or any village for that matter. That’d be really bad, wouldn’t it? He always leaves three days before the full moon so that he can get far away from home,” Luffy repositions himself, checking the leaves of some purple-hued bushes. “Actually, take his example, Law. You can go wherever you want and you don’t have to stay out here with me. You said it yourself, didn’t you? You’re not my pet.”

Law stands on his unstable fawn legs, ears twitching. The yellowed fields seem rather inviting, especially to this form. The chirping of cicadas nearly lulls him into a trance and he snaps out of it, staring Luffy down. _“I’m a familiar. It’s my duty to be by your side.”_

“And I don’t want you to do that 24/7,” Luffy dismissively wiggles the fingers of his right hand – a motion for him to go on ahead. He doesn’t bother to look up, seemingly upset by the bit-through leaves of his herbs. Sabo forgot to prepare a good pesticide before wandering off for his monthly wolf runs. “Go on, have fun. Do… deer things. You’re not some dog chained to the apothecary.”

_“Luffy – “_

“I’ll be really upset if you don’t take this chance,” he threatens, shooting him a kicked puppy stare, complete with that watery-eyed look that he pulls off so well. Law immediately feels attacked and guilt-tripped to the extreme. “No one’s going to bust in with a knife and if they do, I can take care of myself just fine. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Law sighs, _“Fine, whatever”_ and before he’s fully aware of it himself, he goes out to explore the fields, reluctantly looking back at the curled up witch before bravely stepping through the gap of the fence. His fawn form seems to enjoy it immensely and Law feels really ashamed when he catches Luffy observing him from the backyard, grinning at Law’s foolish antics – he was too busy trying to chase after a blue-hued butterfly, tripping over the shrubbery in his haste to get to it, prancing around like some idiotic steed. Doing, as Luffy called it, _deer things._

“Catch that butterfly, Law! You can do it! Fight!” Luffy yells in encouragement and bursts out laughing when Law begins cursing him out through their mind link, feeling seriously degraded, body heating up. No one was supposed to witness _this._ His shame and guilty pleasure. The witch’s sweet laughter carries over the rustling, dried fields and Law _almost_ feels free for the first time in centuries.

* * *

 

Once the sun begins setting in the horizon, Luffy’s loud yell of excitement makes Law poke his head from the towering grass, observing the source. There’s only one dirt road leading to the apothecary so Law spots the staggering man heading in the direction of the backyard almost immediately. He seems to have seen better days in his life, shirt untucked and gray pants dirtied no worse than Luffy’s gardening ones. He’s got a shock of blond hair and burn marks on the left side of his face so Law easily recognizes him as his owner’s older sibling.

The loud exclamation of “Sabo, you’re back!” confirms his suspicions as Luffy launches himself at the visibly-tired were, arms spread wide. The blond drops his belongings – a ratty coat and a black bag – in favor of catching his excited sibling with a pained _“oof!”_ “Ouch, Lu, not so rough!” he rasps yet spins the kid around in a wide circle regardless, rubbing at his back after setting him down. By then, Law’s hidden in the bushes and out of sight, mere meters away from the sibling duo, wary of this Sabo person. Luffy promised that the man was kind and good-natured but some of his stories tended to prove otherwise – Sabo was painfully overprotective.

They converse about basic things – the apothecary, the clients, Sabo’s rough journey back – and when the blond’s about to enter the house, informing Luffy that he would crash right then and there if he didn’t get to lay down on time, he halts, staring right at Law’s petite fawn form.

It’s not a curious or friendly stare, not like anything Law’s encountered so far. It’s analyzing and downright suspicious, nothing short of _intense_ , and it nearly makes Law _cower_ in the bushes, slinking further away from the man’s range. Luffy seems blissfully unaware of the growing tension until Sabo sighs, rubbing the bridge of his pale nose. “Luffy, why’s there a black deer in our bushes?”

Luffy stiffens up upon being addressed, smile turning painfully forced. God, the kid’s hopeless at keeping up appearances. “Uh, it’s not black.”

“It is,” Sabo points Law’s way with his palms. “That can’t be normal.”

“Look, you’re tired,” Luffy babbles nervously, patting his brother on the shoulder. “It just looks like this coz it’s been rolling around in the dirt all day. It’s a friendly deer, I fed it and now it follows me around,” Law wants to scream internally. The kid looks like he’s about to have an aneurysm – clearly a bad liar. Law settles for screaming through their link: tell him to go inside, make him rest, do something! “Ah, uhh, Sabo, you’re really exhausted and you need to sleep. You’re, uh, starting to see things. Go sleep!” Luffy whines and digs his heels into the ground, pushing his poor “delusional” sibling into the house.

Sabo complains for a grand total of three seconds until they reach the staircase and Luffy kicks him back to his study for a lengthy nap. It doesn’t take much for the blond to barricade himself and crash immediately, snores loud enough for Law to hear him outside.

“That was so intense!” Luffy exhales after he kicks the door closed, sliding down its surface with his back pressed to it. Seems that his adrenaline levels were beginning to wear thin.

 _“I think that your brother is slightly suspicious,”_ Law announces what both of them are thinking, sarcastic to the point that even a dense idiot like Luffy can pick up on it. _“Great. How’re you going to tell him about your little summoning stunt? Don’t think he’s gonna appreciate the knife in the gut part.”_

“He’s not going to be suspicious! I’ll make sure of it.”

_“Like you did just now?”_

“I panicked!” Luffy mumbles, peeling off the thick gloves and flexing his fingers. They’re damp from sweat. “I feel so sticky, gross! I’m leaving the rest of the gardening to Sabo, it’s his turn to take care of the garden anyways!” At Law’s retreating fawn form, he points an accusatory finger. “Stay where you are. You’re taking a bath with me.”

 _“I don’t want to take a bath with you,”_ Law squawks, tail twitching in embarrassment. How dare he insinuate something like this? _“I don’t need a bath.”_

“You’ve been rolling around in those fields for hours, I’m absolutely not taking you back inside while you’re caked in dirt.”

 _“I don’t like baths,”_ Law hisses. If he were a cat, right now the fur growing out of his slim back would be standing upright. _“I dislike water in general.”_

“I’m not enthusiastic about baths either but they have to be done. And in your case, _Stinky_ , they’re compulsory,” Luffy huffs and stomps a foot, supposedly intimidating. “I’m not about to let you sleep on my bed with those dirty hooves.”

_“I don’t want to sleep on your bed!”_

“Well that’s too bad because our “pets” sleep on our beds,” Luffy explains, getting closer. Law takes a few uncertain steps back. “Back when Ace still lived here, the entire place was swarming with cats. They’d appear out of nowhere and follow him around, all the way to our house. At one point we had five cats before Sabo said that enough was enough and returned them all to their original owners. They all slept on our beds because Ace and Sabo were convinced that it’s wrong to make pets sleep on the floor.”

 _“That may be so, but I’m still not taking the bath,”_ Law huffs and bails the moment he sees his witch lunge for him, faceplanting into the bushes.

“Law, you get back here right now!” Luffy squeaks after spitting out a leaf but Law’s already on his way to the fields, ready to outsmart Luffy and avoid the water torture that the witch refers to as “bath time”.

They only stop the chase after Sabo groggily opens the window and tiredly yells at Luffy to keep it down – his screaming could raise the dead. Law reluctantly relents, trudging back to his dirt-covered master, head lowered.


	2. the curse and the glow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law's life continues to suck: the chapter

Even as a man, Law’s never been too fond of water. Predictably, his disdain mostly stemmed from the deep, jagged scar left behind on his psyche – watching his younger sister drown while being unable to do anything about it, helplessly screaming his lungs out at the muddy shore; Law remembers all of that and a whole lot more whenever he thinks back to his human past – rather than the universal fact that water was a deadly prison to every less-careful being. Dark and mystifying, the wide lakes and the bubbling rivers weren’t much better than Raftel’s creepy, distorted woods. No amount of daylight could ever clear up those mirror-like surfaces or let one properly see into the other side, find the things lost in the wet depths – it took the villagers three days and nights to find Lami’s body, adrift.

  
When Luffy clutches him to his naked chest and submerges, Law changes forms, making hot water spill over the stone sides of the sizeable pool.

  
“This isn’t funny!” he yells and continuously rubs at his exposed forearms, shivering uncontrollably. His wet clothes stick to his skin but Law hardly takes notice of it, glaring at his distorted reflection on the bath’s black surface. He can’t make out anything, the lack of proper candlelight incapable of illuminating the stone floor.

  
“Hey, are you feeling alright?” the witch asks him with a crease of worry marring the spot between his slanted eyebrows, “Law?” he questions as he shifts closer, wary of the lack of verbal replies.

  
Foolishly, the witch reaches out to brush away the damp strands out of his familiar’s shadowed eyes when the latter lashes out, his grip on Luffy’s painfully bony wrist turning vice-like. Law wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked something but the witch doesn’t voice out a single protest, lips thinning out to hold back the obvious wince of pain. Guilty, Law glances up and then readjusts his strength levels but firmly refuses to let go.

  
“You should’ve said that you’re no good with water before. There’s nothing wrong with it,” Luffy says, his other hand determinedly reaching towards Law. The familiar flinches back but the limb doesn’t settle on his skin, rather Luffy’s fingers fix the string of silver slipping out of his antlers. “I hate water too.”

  
Law huffs at that, especially when he thinks back to Luffy’s dumb determination to bathe together. However, it’s undeniable that Luffy’s unnaturally flushed, gaze slightly unfocused. He looks a bit woozy too, like he’s about to collapse face forward into the bath at any given moment, so the familiar assumes that his “dislike” has to do with Luffy’s inability to tolerate hot water above all.

  
The witch stands, skin glistening in the faint orange light. He’s a skinny brat with wide, bony shoulders and wiry muscles. The witch isn’t much of a soothing sight for one’s tired eye, but the warm glow in his dark eyes makes Luffy appear more confident. Bigger somehow.

  
The dark water hardly laps at his hips, barely covering his naked body from Law’s watchful eyes. Luffy doesn’t seem to mind or notice, fingertips dipping in the space between them. “It’s not deep. See?” the water distorts even further. Feeling his staring to be a bit too depraved, Law turns his head.

  
Luffy’s wet fingers slip out of his now-loose grasp, skidding over the inside of his wrist, leaving fire magic in their wake. It’s oddly electrifying for the familiar, especially when he knows that his sensory is awfully dulled. They settle on Law’s longer, spindlier fingers, hooking over the knuckles. It’s a wordless reassurance. “If you hate it, you can go?” Luffy offers, smiling awkwardly.

  
“ _Now_ I can leave?” Law snarls, “And what about those hundred-something times I told you that I didn’t want this in the first place?”

  
The smile falls from the witch’s face, lips forming a pout. He lets go of Law to settle his hands on his bony hips. The familiar’s hand feels oddly… cold. “Look, if you want something done, you gotta tell me properly! I’m no good when it comes to reading between the lines,” “clearly,” Law hisses, rolling his eyes. “You gotta learn how to communicate your needs with me!”

  
“And what if I don’t want to tell you my reasons?” Law cranes his neck to look up at Luffy’s scrunched up face.

  
He’s unsure as to what he’s been expecting but Luffy’s simple reply punches the air out of his tight, anxiety-cramped lungs. “Then don’t. I won’t force it, you’ll tell me when you feel like it. Just make sure that you say it like this: “I don’t want to do this thing because I have my reasons”. It’s really as simple as that,” Luffy crosses his arms over his chest, leaning in to get a better look at his familiar. The water produces a slight sloshing at the movement. “Geez, were you lying when you told me that you were a human in the past life? Even I know that much.”

  
Feeling mildly annoyed, Law buries his hand in the water and splashes Luffy’s front in reply. For some reason, it doesn’t feel as scary anymore. Luffy gasps at the droplets raining down his front, brushing excess water out of his eyes. “How dare you insult me?” Law smirks, pleased by the witch’s sputtering. “Weak little witch,” he taunts.

Luffy’s eyes widen at the offending name and he fists his hands, barely containing himself.

  
“Weak? I’ll show you weak!” he yells a war cry but there’s a wide grin dancing on his lips when he charges at Law, only at about half of his strength because he is still mindful of the other’s condition.

  
Law feels the stone floor of the bath against his feet and he’s far too busy with attacking Luffy with tiny bursts of water to pay too much attention to the dark water going up to the middle of his biceps, sloshing against his exposed back. Luffy claws at Law’s forearms when the latter wrestles the witch to half-sit on his lap, one long leg locking the wriggling witch in place.

  
“Yield,” Law commands with a light, intentionally-bored tone as Luffy huffs a defiant “hell no!” and gives up at working around the forearm locking his neck, glancing up at Law with a devilish little smirk. The familiar’s silver eyes widen when Luffy dunks his cupped palms into the sparkling water and throws it all into Law’s surprised face.

  
“That’s just dirty,” the familiar sputters, spitting out some excess water and Luffy stills, craning his neck once more. His grin is wider than before.

  
“You’re smiling,” Luffy states and belatedly Law realizes that he truly is, so much that his cheeks feel like they’re hurting.

  
Law removes one hand from around Luffy’s shoulders and squeezes the kid’s cheeks, squishing him into some fish-lipped creature. “Mind your own damn business,” he says with a pinch to one chubby cheek and gets a wet slap across the forehead in return.

  
Somehow, they still manage to share a laugh.

 

* * *

  
“You sure have a fancy bathing space,” Law comments matter-of-factly, eyes closed. He rests his chin on his crossed arms, more than half of his torso hanging over the stone edge of the pool. His tunic floats on the now-still water surface, taking up most of the circular space. If Law doesn’t look at the bath, he can pretend that he isn’t half-submerged. It’s infinitely better than awkwardly standing around with wet clothes sticking to him like a second skin. He’s far too worn out to change forms as well.

  
A little belatedly, Law wonders if it’s the water’s fault. If it’s seeping away his strength.

  
In one of the corners, Luffy is scrubbing away the grime left behind by a sauna trip. A small wall shields him away from Law’s vision.

“Bath time brings people closer,” Luffy says as an explanation despite it not really being one. Law can almost visualize the dismissive shrug of his shoulders. “Join me at the sauna room next time! It’s gonna energize you real good.”

  
Law scoffs, “No thanks. Besides, there’d be no point in it for me since I can’t feel the shift of temperatures all that well.”

  
“That sucks,” Luffy tells him after a beat of silence. It’s followed by the sound of water sloshing in a bucket.

  
“Suck it may, I’m still surprised you haven’t passed out from the heat?”

  
“Why would I do that?” Luffy’s confused face pops from behind the wall. There’re suds in his coal-black strands. “Saunas are the best ever! Gonna get some milk once I head back inside to complete the experience,” his eyes shift towards the ceiling as he hums, “Kinda feel like having a snack too…”

  
Law decides to ignore half of the sentences to spill out of his childish witch’s mouth. “Weren’t you pulling that frail, dying swan act in the bath? I thought you hated the heat.”

  
“Nah, it’s just the water,” Luffy goes back to splashing himself. “I get so sleepy whenever I bathe? I have no idea why? It’s super weird. Saunas are all good though.”

  
“You’re weird,” Law decides, to which Luffy replies with “no, you”. Predictable child behavior. The water rises up the back of Law’s naked back as he readjusts his position. He can’t wait to get out. Preferably, hang up his clothes to dry. Perhaps even take Luffy up on his strange offer to take his dead brother’s clothes. He’ll shift in a few hours or so – Law doubts that Sabo will walk in on them before sunrise either way, dead to the world due to his post-transformation. “When will you give me a blessing?” he presses, craving to get down to the business.

  
“Tomorrow sounds good,” Luffy hums. “I don’t want Sabo around for it though, he’s going to feel the weird magic and then –“ he quiets down. Law isn’t too sure he wants Luffy to finish that sentence because he can feel it in the tense, heavy air between them; it’s highly likely that Sabo’s going to attack Law on sight. “You can choose one today. I think I got at least three.”

  
“Aiming for a lot of familiars I see,” Law says.

  
“ _No!_ ” Luffy squawks hurriedly as if to reassure Law that he is “one and only”. It’s kinda hilarious and a little adorable. “But Shanks said that it’s better to have more just in case. Most blessings rip apart easily.”

  
“He sounds like a cautious man,” Law hums, trying to imagine this wandering drunk of a warlock that Luffy would mention every now and then. He’s heard the boy call out to him in his fever dreams as well.

  
“Shanks? _Cautious?_ No way,” Luffy laughs heartily. “He made smart decisions most of the time but that didn’t mean that he was cautious. It’s hard to explain but if we run into him, you’ll see what I mean.”

  
The mere implication that he might stick around Luffy for longer than it is absolutely necessary, stuck in magical captivity once again, makes Law queasy. He constantly tries to ignore the uncomfortable, sinking feeling in his chest whenever he so much as thinks about the journey ahead of them and likens it to a wild goose chase – there were far too many fire domains out there, far too many ley lines to visit. If they’re lucky, they’re going to take about three years or so.

  
Law chooses to say nothing. Luffy then begins a one-sided chat, quickly growing bored with the stuffy silence.

 

* * *

  
There’s a sizeable piece of chicken lodged in Luffy’s mouth when the kid throws the blessings on the table, cheeks full with half-chewed meat as he slurs around it “pick the one you like the most”.

  
Law pulls a face and readjusts the sleeves of his black shirt covered in faded red tribal patterns around the neck area – while Ace was tall, he wasn’t nearly as overgrown as Law so the sleeves fell a bit short, along with the hems of the pants. The clothes feel awfully breezy though, but not as much as that ridiculous piece of semi-transparent black material that was Law’s tunic – judging by the shirt alone, this Ace person was twice as sturdier than Law.

  
He picks through five straps turned into bracelets, some more faded from the use than the others. Law’s eyes settle on a faded red ribbon. There’s a painful pang in his chest.

  
“This one,” he says, sliding Luffy the blessing.

  
The kid who’s been focused on his own business leans over the cluttered work-table separating them, swallowing his bite. “You sure? Seems frail. It’s one of my oldest,” Luffy says, wrapping the ribbon a few times around his wrist. The ribbon’s ends are frayed – Luffy’s removed the clasp sewn to it.

  
“I’m sure,” Law nods.

  
Sometimes Luffy reminds the familiar too much of _Him_ with how alike they are. With how much they both care for Law despite him being an elusive, slimy eel.

  
Luffy wipes his mouth and wiggles his fingers under Law’s nose. “Gimme the dagger.”

  
Law stares, taken aback. “Wait, now!?”

  
“Sure. Why should it wait? It’s just a blessing,” Luffy says like it’s no big deal and perhaps it isn’t to him but to a familiar like Law…

  
“But save the magic show for tomorrow, cool?” he then adds, eyes flickering to the staircase where Sabo’s snores echo louder than their melded thoughts. It’s clear that Luffy does not wish to disturb his brother.

  
For his eagerness, Law can give him that much. “Of course,” the familiar nods and he means it. His fingers tighten around the dagger that he’s brought out just in case, as though subconsciously knowing it’ll turn out like this.

  
Luffy takes the dagger, their fingers brushing when Law reluctantly lets go and he watches Luffy wrap the red blessing around the glistening sheath of Law’s weapon, muttering something under his breath. _A spell._

  
He ties the frayed ends together, making sure to do a few knots to keep the ribbon from slipping away. When he brings the weapon to his face, Luffy stares right at Law with an unnerving sort of intensity, making a chilly shiver run down Law’s spine. He’s always thought of witch blessings as an intimate sort of deal – after all, Law was about to access his full potential and unlock his familiar magic that’s been dormant for more than a few centuries now. Luffy doesn’t seem to be sharing the sentiment because the kiss that he presses against the knot is chaste at best and he then drops the dagger back into Law’s slack hand like this was no big deal, the white kiss mark blending back into the faded red.

  
“You’re good to go now! Isn’t it great?” Luffy grins brightly in reassurance as Law turns over the pristine dagger. Nothing seems out of the place, as per usual. Blessings were simple like that – they required little to no instantaneous magic. The trickiest part of preparing a proper blessing lied in one’s ability to keep consistency – in Luffy’s case, he’d turned those ribbons into bracelets, ones he’d worn without removing once for five years straight, allowing the blessings to soak in tiny fragments of his magic with every passing year.

  
While Law feels grateful for the witch’s blessing being bestowed upon him, he can’t help the small pang of hurt at being brushed aside like this – like this tiny ritual meant to channel his hidden magic meant nothing to his owner.

  
If Luffy feels the disappointment through their link, he chooses not to comment on it, brushing the lingering awkwardness under the ancient rug covering the stone floor.

 

* * *

  
Sabo doesn’t like him.

  
It’s clear in the way the man observes him, midnight-blue eyes calculative, following Law’s every move, looking for peculiarities. The fawn familiar can feel that searing gaze on his petite back at all times and ducking out of sight does little to stop Sabo – if needed, he readjusts his pose just to piss him off with his staring.

  
To say the least, Law’s not too fond of the blond older brother either.

  
The siblings spend most of the morning talking about Sabo’s rough journey and other meaningless shit. Law filters out most of it as he goes about helping Luffy to get ready for a new day. Sabo complains about phantom aches and kicks back on the sofa, looking bad enough for Luffy not to question him too much – his face is still godawfully pale despite the energizing potions and his eyes are bloodshot as though he’s received a few hooks in the eye sockets.

  
Law’s encountered some weres in his past, none of which he liked because even as men they were animalistic and brutal, reminding the familiar of some wild, brainless dogs.

  
The Donquixotes had a knack for collecting supernatural freaks.

  
Compared to them, Sabo looks… normal. Human. Sure, he may seem a little arrogant – a quality, Law notices, that all weres shared – but he doesn’t argue with Luffy too much when the young witch promises his disbelieving brother that Law’s nothing more than his new house pet – an injured baby fawn that he’d found in the fields and then took back home to tend to its supposedly broken leg. Sabo, once again, points out the peculiar shade of Law’s fur and the antlers that shouldn’t even be there, but the moment Luffy’s lips quirk downwards, Sabo’s forced to admit defeat and relent.

  
“Just make sure you take care of it properly, alright?” Sabo says and glowers at the baby deer hiding under the table. “Treat it with respect, like you would anyone else.”

  
It’s pretty clear that the tall blond has figured out Law’s true nature. He doesn’t ask how or why and when – he trusts Luffy enough to have a familiar. It’s for the best if Sabo never finds out about their first meeting.

  
“That goes without saying,” Luffy nods in agreement and watches Sabo leave the house, flipping over the sign to indicate that they’re open – the were-warlock has some business to attend to back at the village.

  
“Be safe,” Luffy wishes over the threshold, while Law scolds him via the link, encouraging his witch to either properly step outside or return to the room – wishing for your family and friends’ safety with one foot out of the house was considered a bad omen. A jinx.

  
“You’re too superstitious,” Luffy tells the tiny fawn and picks up a basket filled with dried clusters of various herbs, carrying it to the work table.

 

* * *

Sometime around 5 pm, Luffy tiredly closes the store, nearly chasing out the last of the elderly. Law could hardly concentrate throughout the day, thoughts wandering to the dagger strapped to his belt. Thinking of his magic returning to him.

  
He used to be one of the more powerful familiars, unfairly advantaged in every combat. His portable domain was his pride and joy, one that he’d used plenty of times to get Him back to safety whenever riots would break out or assassins showed up on their doorstep. Law put everything into bettering himself, growing stronger for _His_ sake, yet all of his efforts had blown up right in his face.

  
_He_ was gone while Law was alive, partly wasting away, and Luffy was about to restore his soiled honor, restore his power balance.

  
Luffy could feel his familiar’s anticipation via their link, usually zoning out whenever he talked with the clients because of it and then nearly falling down a ladder when Law’s thoughts started overwhelming his own. Luffy asked him to stop afterwards and while Law tried his hardest, he wasn’t too good at this, still unused to a new owner – a new person reading his emotions like some open book. It was hard to fight off the primal, incessant itch to just unsheathe the dagger and do it, summon his domain. Perhaps feel the lingering remains of _His_ presence.

  
Overwhelmed by Law’s emotional turmoil, Luffy sprawls out on the stool stationed in the backyard, right before the garden. “I’m gonna go crazy if you don’t get this done,” Luffy tells him with a prolonged groan, massaging at his temples instead of giving the familiar a good to go.

Law nervously reverts to his human form, the black of his robes swimming in the dimmed, ugly yellow of the afternoon. The air is thick with humidity, greyish-yellow rain clouds but it doesn’t look like the storm clouds are heading in their direction. Sabo’s yet to return.

  
The conditions are perfect.

  
With some effort, Luffy properly sits up, lidded eyes betraying curiosity. Law shoots him a timid look to which the short witch responds with a firm nod, lower lip disappearing in his mouth. Waiting.

  
Unsheathing the dagger is automatic. Law does it with practiced ease, firmly staring ahead, accessing his energy reserves. The light wind ceases to exist, the line of the Raftel’s woods stilling. The whisper of the hip-tall dried grass finally ceases to exist as though the life-forms taking residence within the field have quieted down, eager to see what happens next.

  
On the shaky stool, Luffy leans forward, mouth slack and eyes wide, watching the familiar draw graceful runes in the air. The end of the dagger looks as though it’s slicing at the fabric of reality, leaving gold patterns in its wake. Law’s hand is nimble, fast, the runes switch and fade before Luffy can actually read any of them.

  
There’s a spark of a familiar presence somewhere nearby but before anyone can make sure of it, it disappears.

  
It all happens far too fast. Law brings his free hand up and says “room”.

  
The world goes black and white.

  
The force of the barrier is so intense, that Luffy nearly loses his ability to breathe, feels the clogging magic push him into the ground. The stool creaks in protest, rattling.

  
Someone screeches. Luffy lifts his heavy head, eyes watering when he looks at Law who stumbles back, the dagger vibrating in his hand. Dazed, Luffy tries to get up, only to collapse – the magic smells foul, like the clogging ash and smoke of a Templar pyre. He never thought that he’d be encountering this sort of unpleasantness ever again.

  
He wants to shout but the words get sucked right out of his vocal chords by the repulsive barrier and then merged with the silence of the gray-black nature.

  
_“Stop it!”_ Luffy yells through the link, on the brink of losing consciousness. Cursing his weakness, he tries to lift his hands but it feels as though they’ve been glued to the black soil of the colorless ground. _“Whatever you’re doing, I command you to stop!”_

  
“Please, not again. Not again!” Luffy faintly hears Law beg. He isn’t sure whom and he does not want to find out. The familiar’s voice sounds frustrated, borderline tearful. Stumbling back even further, Law tries to control the disobedient weapon, Luffy’s blessing being the only thing still retaining its color, keeping Law’s magic from spinning out of control completely. It’s a thin thread, one that will kill his owner if it was to snap right now. Freaked out, Law tries to reverse the magic flow, ready to exert himself if needed, soak it all in like some dirty rag that will never be clean again.

  
There’re multiple empty eyes shining between the sturdy trees of the black woods, warped silhouettes approaching, drawn in by the messed up barrier, Law’s _black magic._

  
Luffy’s consciousness slowly fades into the background. He can’t hear a thing the kid is saying. The pungent magic feels like tar in his mouth – belatedly, he realizes that he’s oozing, the fingertips that hold the dagger turning black. Disturbed by the sight, Law drops the dagger and right as he does, the color returns to the world along with the overwhelming noise.

His senses return as well, high on alert. Instinctively, the familiar ducks to the right, barely avoiding a blast of a powerful fireball. The disgusting scent of the foul, rotten magic is suddenly replaced by that of burnt grass and scorched ground. There’s an intricate metal object resting a hair’s breadth away from Law’s throat, heated up to the point of redness. The end of it is white, the small, diamond-shaped decoration ready to bury itself into Law’s being if he makes one wrong move. He doesn’t dare to breathe or swallow – if he does, he’ll get scorched, bones turned into ash.

  
To his left, Luffy heaves, coughing out stomach acid by the sound of it. A drop of tar lands on the staff, sizzling out.

  
It’s a bit too overwhelming but not as much as meeting Sabo’s blazing eyes, pale brow furrowed. His leather gloves seem fine despite holding onto what could be likened to a hot poker.

  
Sabo spares the vile man no pleasantries, voice no more than a hiss when he demands, “Who the hell are you?”

  
Law takes a moment to gather himself, still reeling from the nasty experience. There’s tar in his mouth but he doesn’t dare to spit – Sabo’s going to slice him open without bothering to bat his eyelids. “A familiar,” Law slurs around the sticky moisture, voice dead and quiet. As if he can’t quite believe it himself – not after _that._

  
He’s tainted. _A demon._ He has no right to call himself that.

  
The angry warlock scoffs, blond curls shadowing his face. “Don’t fuck with me, _entity_.” Ouch. “What the hell was that magic? Where did you come from, why did you attach yourself to Luffy?” his voice rises with every word and Law can see the warlock’s face darken with every sentence to leave his mouth. It’s clear as day that Sabo does not trust him whatsoever. If he were stuck in that human’s place, Law wouldn’t trust himself much either. “Tell me and I might let you live.”

  
“Sabo,” Luffy weakly calls out to his deranged brother. It’s overpowered by a serious coughing fit. “Sabo, it’s not his fault. He couldn’t control it.”

  
“Stay where you are!” the said older sibling barks a command, gaze wild when it settles on Luffy struggling to get up, unsuccessfully. His muscles feel like mush trapped inside his body. “You’re already in pain. I’m going to deal with this, Lu.”

  
Law remains quiet. Guilt crushes him like a ton of bricks, weighing him down no worse than that wretched, polluted domain. He deserves all of the insults. He deserves death.

  
“Answer me!” Sabo demands, louder. The staff burns at his skin. Luffy winces, yells in protest while Law doesn’t defend himself, blackened fingertips trembling. “You deaf or something?”

  
“It’s my fault,” Law says firmly, gaze downcast. Sabo gapes but doesn’t lower the weapon. The admittance makes the Spirit frown, jawline tensing. It’s his fault. He’s brought this upon himself and Luffy. It would’ve been better if he’d spent the rest of his days without trying to probe at his hidden power. Safer. For him, for others. “When Luffy released me, Raftel took away everything. Not just curses – my black magic suppressing marks and filters too. I didn’t know. I didn’t feel anything when it happened, only the relief of my curses crumbling away. I didn’t see any outward changes either,” Law curls his fingers. The sickly gangrene-hue is slowly retracting, fading. Good. “I’m cursed, Luffy,” he continues, gritting his teeth. Sabo shoots the familiar an inquisitive stare and then looks at the witch in question. He seems to be busy assessing the severity of their current situation, no longer invested in the standoff.

  
“Why didn’t you say anything?” the kid asks shakily. Law cannot bear to lift his head and look him in the eye. “You should’ve – “

  
“I didn’t want to because I thought it’d be fine. I didn’t think that Raftel would remove all of the seals, _good ones included_ ,” Law shakes his head. “I fucked up. I’m sorry for that.”

  
“You wound up in quite a mess here, Luffy,” Sabo states in a serious tone. He doesn’t pay Law any attention. “You have a cursed familiar on your hands. How will you deal with it? His kind – they’re the worst,” Sabo pokes the bloody spot again. The heat no longer does damage. “I’d say you have about half an hour to pack your stuff before this place is swarming with grims,” Surprised, Law looks up. So he wasn’t mistaken when he saw their shadows, felt their presence, far far away in Raftel’s woods. He has no idea how Sabo’s sensed them but it hits him hard and fast – Sabo’s a werewolf. He may not be a grim, but he can pick out their death omen presence kilometers away. “I’ll stay behind and deal with this mess. You, on the other hand, need to leave,” and just like that, Sabo takes the staff away, twirling it gracefully in the air to cool it off before strapping it back into its rightful harness. The dead grass around Law produces a crunching sound from under Sabo’s black, polished boots.

  
“What…?” Luffy’s eyes are the size of saucers when Sabo walks up to him and hoists him up, pushing Luffy in the direction of the house. “What do you mean? Stay behind? Grims? Sabo, what’s going on!?” the kid wrenches himself away from his brother’s tight grip, glowering. “I’m absolutely not moving from here until you tell me what’s happening,” he stomps a foot in a show of defiance, staring the man down. Law hasn’t moved ever since Sabo walked away, still lost in a state of shock and confusion.

  
Bit by bit, Sabo’s cool façade begins crumbling. His fingers settle painfully on Luffy’s bony shoulders. “I told you so many times to not go over my stuff,” Sabo forces out as evenly as he can despite the uncontrollable shivers overtaking his lean body. He can _feel_ the grims getting close and he’s undeniably scared. For Luffy, for their magic shack – their home. “I told you not to try and do anything stupid and unnecessary. I warned you about rituals. You _promised_ me to never enter Raftel's fairy ring without a good cause, you – “ Sabo’s voice cracks.

  
Hurt by the just scolding, Luffy brutally brushes him away, taking a wide step back. “ _Saving Ace’s soul_ isn’t a good enough reason for you?” he hisses, mouth agape as though he cannot believe that his brother said that.

  
Sabo freezes, as though Luffy’s just backhanded him.

  
Silence stretches on, thick and heavy between them. In the distance, thunder rumbles ominously. The wind is picking up and the whispers of the dry grass grow louder in the air. Law feels as though he's drowning in Luffy’s confusion, anger.

  
Sabo says nothing to the hurtful accusation, only straightens his back and sets his sharp jaw. His voice is even when he speaks up, “Cursed familiars tend to attract devil-type supernatural entities. One cannot exist in our world without getting chased across the continent by every single creature out there. Your familiar’s cursed black magic is going to continuously put you in danger every single day of your life, Luffy, and unless you somehow manage to complete the contract of your deal or get him to a proper magic-sealing meister, you’ll get torn apart to shreds. Both of you. Until then, you’ll be walking with a beacon of black magic. And if he – “ Sabo continues talking about Law as though the other isn’t here, doesn’t exist in his general space, “decides to randomly access that cursed mana pool of his again, you’ll be facing the exact same situation that you are right now. You’ve burdened yourself greatly, Luffy. You’re stuck with someone who cannot even attend to his familiar duties. You bound yourself to a humanoid entity that cannot access their power.”

  
“I got it the first time you said it,” Luffy cuts the older man off, face stone-like and voice cool. “You can stop rubbing it in.”

  
_“Let him. It’s not like he’s wrong,”_ Law tells Luffy through their link but the kid says nothing, engaged in a staring contest with his older sibling, wasting precious time that they do not have.

  
“Go pack your stuff, Lu,” Sabo sighs in defeat. “I expect you out in five minutes, no more.”

  
A little uncertainly, Law brushes past the dejected older man staring off into the distance and observing the tree line, ready to defend his home and his only remaining family. Sabo lets him go.

 

* * *

 

  
Law knows that switching forms is out of the question. From now on, he’ll have to remain human no matter what – if he is to switch, he’ll have to use magic as faint as it might be. Just the tiniest droplet will be more than enough to cause a typhoon in an already-disturbed water glass.

  
Luffy’s fast, packing only the essentials. Law has to pick up after him, thinking ahead. He’s glad for his lack of sensation and different biology – he takes nothing for himself, changing back into Ace’s clothes from last night. Luffy fishes out his deceased brother’s travel hood for Law to use – it still won’t be enough to hide Law’s antlers from others. A witch hat is out of the question too, he can’t fit the branched out ends inside it.

  
Readjusting to the sensation of wearing boots is awkward to say the best and while Luffy packs food, Law walks outside.

  
Hurt flashes in Sabo’s eyes when he sees Ace’s clothes on some stranger’s frame, but the blond does not comment on it. “Choice of weapon?”

  
“Swords,” Law says with some awkwardness lacing his tone. Sabo nods to himself, marching right back inside and then straight to one of the less-cluttered walls of the shop, taking down what seemed to be a decorative sabre, unsheathing it, testing the sharpness and the grip. “It’ll have to do,” Sabo calls out. “Not at its sharpest but none of us were any good at sword-fighting to begin with. It’s Master Shanks’ gift. Lose it and I will make sure the next thing you lose will be your head.”

  
Sabo throws it at Law when he hurriedly brushes past, staring at the tree line once more. Waiting.

  
“How are you going to fend them off?” Law asks, a little miffed. Sabo may be strong but he must look at this realistically – he can’t take on a pack of grims by himself.

  
“Shouldn’t you be more worried about your and Luffy’s safety?” Sabo rolls his eyes with a scoff. Law doesn’t outwardly react so he explains himself, tone clipped. “I know the man who is in charge of the pack. Lucci can be reasoned with under certain circumstances. If everything goes right, you’ll have the time to escape. I wouldn’t be too sure about it, though. Just make sure you don’t get in Luffy’s way, Spirit.”

  
“There’s nothing I can do for him,” Law says, growing steadily annoyed. Sabo looks at him as though he’s incompetent, as though he’s never had to fight before, magic as his aid or not. As though Law’s about to flip over and wait for Luffy to fight off demons for him while he cried like some distressed weakened damsel.

  
“That’s right. You can’t,” Sabo agrees, confirming Law’s dim assumptions and giving the familiar a critical onceover. “Luffy’s strong, he can do the protecting. And if he’s unable to, under no circumstances are you to abandon him. Use your creepy portal or whatever the hell that was to get him out of harm’s way. Teleport to another place if that means you can draw the attention of whatever the hell’s chasing after you. I don’t care if you have to walk three kilometers apart,” Sabo then fiddles with the clasp of one of the multiple necklaces hanging off his lean neck. He collects the charm in his gloved hand – it’s hanging off a leather strap, shaped like a sun, crafted from cheap brass. “Take this. I will tell Luffy where you need to go next, however, I don’t trust that klutz to not lose it. Without it you won’t be able to meet the person you need to. He’ll know how to help,” Law takes the offered object away, inspecting the swirling flare of the sun. Sabo visibly bristles at it so Law doesn’t waste time with his analysis, moving to secure the object around his own neck.

  
He opens his mouth but no words come out. Law hardly feels any gratitude towards this man despite him trying his damn hardest to protect them. He knows that if Luffy wasn’t involved in the equation right now, he’d be left to die and rot.

  
“I’ll rejoin you as soon as possible. But let me make myself clear; if I find a single hair missing off Luffy’s head once I get to you, I’m going to skin your damn deer pelt and wear it on All Hallow’s Eve. You got him into this mess, you’ll be cleaning it up,” Sabo tells him with a deep frown etched between his eyebrows, the burn marks left behind by the Templar pyre making him seem all that more scary.

  
His tone makes a nerve twitch under Law’s eye. The familiar straightens up, trying to appear intimidating – the effect is lost on Sabo who is nearly as tall as Law is. “You misunderstood me,” Law says, relishing in the slight raise of the other’s brows. “I’m here to be Luffy’s guide, not his fighter and certainly not his safety blanket. If he is to die out there, that’ll be none of my fault. My contract doesn’t oblige me to die for him and I do know that a lot of witches never fail to add that part to their terms and conditions.”

  
Sabo balks at that bit of knowledge – Luffy failed to secure himself someone who’d risk themselves for his safety, granting the familiar the undeserved free will; while Sabo respects the witches’ familiars, this one just rubs him the wrong way. It’s not what he does, though, rather it’s the cursed magic that emits from his being that automatically paints a picture of evil within Sabo’s mind, warps his perception of the familiar’s character as a whole. Law taking it out on him doesn’t seem to help his image-building in the slightest as well.

  
If Luffy didn’t step out when he did, Sabo’s certain that he would’ve blacked out and gone on autopilot, attacking the demonic entity once more.

 

* * *

  
They’re supposed to travel to some remote village that is five full days’ worth walk away from Windmill village and meet someone named Grand Meister Jinbei, someone whom Sabo respects. The man is supposedly talented in dark magic-suppressing seals and he’ll likely know what to do with Law’s case and how to keep his curse at bay. The blond man shoves at least fifteen protective charms into Luffy’s hands and makes him swear that they’ll barely stop for rest – the journey is long and they cannot risk being seen by other humans and witches. Not with Law’s warped appearance.

  
Luffy departs reluctantly, hugging his distressed brother and quickly apologizing for blowing up and for being dumb while left unsupervised – something that Sabo forces himself to laugh off, unwilling to part on bad terms. He asks Luffy to give Koala his regards, and then the master and familiar duo depart, straight through the fields surrounding the house – it’s for the best to stay away from the main roads.

  
The first part of their journey is quiet.

  
Luffy complains about his sore feet and Law’s too afraid to make a fire that night, eyes wide and fearful, jumping up at the slightest sound. Luffy conks out the moment his head hits the ground, tired from the grueling walk through the uneven terrain. Law tunes him out and doesn’t get a wink of sleep, magic levels draining ever so slightly.

  
He coughs black into his sleeve and wipes it on the ground.

  
On the third day, while they’re passing through the clearing between the woods, Ace’s dagger starts acting weird.

  
“Make it stop!” Law anxiously hisses, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they aren’t followed. No one greets him, only the horizon bathed by the bright moonlight. Luffy had spent the last hour pointing out bright, twinkling stars to Law, naming them however he seemed fit while Law sighed and corrected the witch every single time, telling the kid their real names. Luffy only really knew the Big and Small Dippers, but then again, who didn’t? “It’s like we’re walking with another magic torch. It’s glowing too! It’s not gonna take long before it gets noticed by every witch and entity residing in the area. You don’t even need sharp detection spells to pick up on this fire magic.”

  
“I’m trying!” Luffy yelps in distress, wrapping the dagger in the front of his brown sweater as if hoping that it’ll make the object’s faint glow dim. It still continues to stubbornly shine like a lantern shoved under Luffy’s clothes.

  
“Try _harder_ ,” Law demands, still keeping his voice down. He’s been whispering ever since they bailed from Luffy’s village.

  
Luffy shoots him an exasperated look, “Easy for you to say. I’ve no idea how to make it stop, nothing ever works!” the dagger’s glow pulsates, giving away their location to anyone within at least three kilometer radius, ready to guide enemies towards them like some beacon guiding ships. “What are you doing?” Luffy asks the object as though it has a conscious, unwrapping it from the oversized garment. It’s so bright that the duo has to cover their eyes to soothe the sting of the light. “It’s never been this bright before,” Luffy tells Law who scoffs.

  
“We must be near some powerful fire domain. That’d explain it,” Law says and then promptly backpedals when Luffy places Ace’s weapon on his open palm and it starts spinning around wildly, like a compass needle searching for the right direction, “…okay, now _that_ doesn’t explain anything,” Law continues, leaning over Luffy’s shoulder to watch the strange object in fascination. It spins a few more times before the sheathed blade points north-west, stuttering a few times until finally settling on the direction. The glow pulsates even more, as if determined to warn the dagger’s host where to go.

  
Luffy watches the object with wide eyes while Law’s far less enthusiastic, craving to get back his untainted magic above all. He’s been feeling useless ever since his first attempt, Sabo’s harsh words carving themselves into his subconscious – he’s a burden to Luffy. On their journey, they were attacked only once but Luffy’d taken care of it in the blink of an eye, telling Law to stand back while he went at it with his bare fists covered in black armament emitting a soothing pink hue – the pink of Luffy’s mana. The black of Luffy’s hands was pure, meant for protection while in contrast the discoloring of Law’s fingers signified his destructive magic meant to bring pain and nothing more. Meant to attract demons and misfortune.

  
Luffy told him that it wasn’t a bother, that he felt as though he was finally repaying Law for taking care of him while he was on the verge of death, mana nonexistent.

  
No matter what Luffy said, though, this time around his words didn’t sink into Law. He didn’t even have the time to draw his sword before Luffy pushed him back from danger’s way with a shout of “stay back, I’ll do it”. It was a massive blow to his pride as the witch’s familiar.

  
Luffy’s voice snaps him back to the present. “Wait, I think I know this place,” the witch mutters hesitantly, assessing his surroundings with a few turns of his head.

  
“I’m sure you do but we need to get going. Let’s hope for the best – this glow is going to disappear once we walk away. My priority is to take us to that Jinbei person and get my magic sealed. We can come back afterwards – Luffy, where are you going?” Law calls out, a little exasperated. The witch doesn’t seem to be listening to him at all, already strolling in the direction of the woods, following Ace’s crazy dagger. “Luffy!”

  
There’s no way to reason with him. The more time Law wastes standing around, the further away Luffy goes. He calls out to his master one more time before growling, rubbing at his tense forehead – it’s no use. He’ll _have to_ follow.

  
Feeling uneasy, Law sucks it up, swallows down the bubbling curses and follows Luffy into the tree line, quickly disappearing out of sight.

**Author's Note:**

> more tags will be added as the story progresses!


End file.
